G^tck    SixaotL| 


Press  Bulletin  Series  Issued  Twice  Quarterly 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS 
DEPARTMENT  OF  REGISTRATION  AND  EDUCATION 

A.  M.  SHELTON,  Director 

DIVISION  OF  THE 
STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 

M.  M.  LEIGHTON.  Chief,   Urbana 
No.    7  ILLINOIS    PETROLEUM  February  19.  1927 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Oil  possibilities  of  the  Payson  anticline,  Adams  County,  Illinois 1 

Petroleum  in  Illinois  during  1926 5 

OIL  POSSIBILITIES  OF  THE  PAYSON  ANTICLINE, 
ADAMS  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 

By  Ben  B.  Cox 

Introduction 

Although  geological  conditions  in  western  Illinois  are  known  to  be  gen- 
erally favorable  for  oil  accumulation,  the  geologic  structure  has  not  been 
determined  over  the  entire  area  in  sufficient  detail  to  give  any  assurance 
that  all  of  the  most  promising  structures  have  been  adequately  tested.  Ac- 
cordingly, it  is  the  policy  of  the  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey  to  make 
careful  determinations  of  the  geologic  structure  as  part  of  the  regular  work 
of  detailed  quadrangle  studies  now  in  progress  in  western  Illinois.  From 
time  to  time,  preliminary  reports  will  be  issued  giving  the  pertinent  facts 
concerning  oil  possibilities  of  such  interesting  areas  as  are  found  in  the 
course  of  the  quadrangle  studies. 

Field  work  in  the  Quincy-Liberty  quadrangles,  which  are  located  prin- 
cipally in  Adams  County,  resulted  in  the  determination  of  geologic  condi- 
tions which  appear  to  be  favorable  for  oil  accumulation.  Although  ten 
deep  wells  have  been  drilled  in  this  area,  none  of  them  was  favorably  located 
for  testing  the  structures  which  appear  most  promising.  It  is  the  purpose 
of  this  report  to  give  a  brief  summary  of  the  geological  conditions  and 
recommendations  of  locations  for  testing  the  anticline. 

The  index  map  (fig.  1)  shows  the  location  of  a  part  of  the  Quincy- 
Liberty  quadrangles,  the  Pittsfield  gas  field  in  Pike  County,  and  the  Colmar 
oil  field  in  McDonough  County.  The  beds  which  produce  in  these  nearby 
areas  are  known  to  underlie  the  Quincy-Liberty  area. 

Structure 
The  structure  map  (fig.  2,  pp.  6-7)  shows  the  form  and  location  of  the 
Payson  anticline  by  contours  drawn  on  the  top  of  the  Keokuk  limestone. 

ILLINOIS    L.EOLOG.UML 

SURVEY  LIBRARY 

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ILLINOIS  PETROLEUM 


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Fig.  1.  Index  map  of  Illinois  showing  location  of  area  covered  by 
this  report  and  its  relation  to  the  Colmar  Plymouth  oil  field  and 
the  Pittsfield  gas  area. 


ILLINOIS  STATE  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY 


3  3051  00005  1478 


OIL    POSSIBILITIES    OF   THE   PAYSON    ANTICLINE  3 

As  shown  on  the  map.  this  fold  is  marked  by  gentle  dips  to  the  north,  and 
comparatively  steep  dips  on  both  the  east  and  west.  The  Payson  anticline 
is  the  most  favorable  structure  which  has  been  found  in  the  Quincy-Liberty 
area. 

The  greater  part  of  the  geologic  structure  of  the  Quincy-Liberty  quad- 
rangles was  determined  by  level  measurements  on  outcrops  of  rock  beds 
of  Mississippian  age.  Consequently,  the  structural  features  shown  in  figure 
2  can  be  depended  on  at  the  depth  of  the  oil-producing  beds  much  more  than 
can  most  of  the  structures  in  western  Illinois  which  have  been  described, 
for  generally  the  structure  of  Pennsylvanian  beds  has  been  the  basis  of 
recommendations  for  prospecting.  Since  it  is  reasonably  well  established 
that  there  was  no  local  folding  of  importance  in  the  region  from  the  time 
of  the  deposition  of  the  oldest,  probable  oil-bearing  beds  until  after  the  de- 
position of  the  lower  Mississippian,  the  structure  of  all  of  these  beds  should 
be  closely  parallel.  Between  the  times  of  deposition  of  the  Mississippian 
and  of  the  Pennsylvanian,  there  was  important  folding  followed  by  erosion, 
so  that  the  structure  of  the  Pennsylvanian  deviates  considerably  from  the 
structure  of  the  lower,  oil-bearing  beds.  In  view  of  this  relationship,  the 
1  'a\  son  anticline  is  favorably  regarded  as  a  possible  oil-bearing  structure. 

The  structure  map  shows  that  although  the-  Payson  anticline  dips  gently 
to  the  north,  the  rate  of  dip  is  rather  irregular.  Experience  shows  that 
along  a  fold  of  this  type  there  is  a  better  chance  of  finding  oil  accumulation 
where  the  dip  of  the  axis  is  locally  flattened  than  elsewhere.  On  this  anti- 
cline, a  flattening  of  the  dip  was  determined  about  six  miles  due  east  of 
Quincy,  and  it  is  indicated  on  the  map,  figure  2,  by  shading  which  covers 
the  area  considered  favorable  for  production. 

Possible  Oil-bearing  Horizons 

A  well  drilled  to  950  feet  should  be  deep  enough  to  test  the  various 
possible  oil-bearing  formations,  for  the  St.  Peter  sandstone  should  be 
reached  at  about  that  depth.  The  first  well  should  be  located  in  the  SE.  % 
sec.  30,  or  the  XE.  *4  sec.  31,  T.  1  S.,  R.  7  W.  As  far  as  is  now  known, 
wells  at  these  locations  have  an  equal  chance  of  being  productive. 

BURLINGTON    LIMESTONE 

The  graphic  record  of  a  general  section  of  the  beds  to  be  expected  in 
a  well  drilled  on  the  favorable  part  of  the  structure  is  given  in  figure  2. 
The  first  possible  oil-  or  gas-producing  horizon  is  the  sandy,  basal  Burling- 
ton limestone  which  should  be  found  at  about  290  feet.  However,  the  pros- 
pects for  this  horizon  do  not  appear  to  be  very  good  in  the  area,  for  none 
of  the  wells  drilled  found  showings  of  oil  or  gas  at  this  depth. 


ILLINOIS   PETROLEUM 


DEVONIAN-SILURIAN    FORMATIONS 


The  lower  part  of  the  Devonian  (or  Silurian)  lime  is  porous  and  has 
yielded  some  showings  of  gas  in  the  Kelley  well  in  T.  3  S.,  R.  5  YV.,  and 
is  to  be  considered  as  a  possible  source  of  oil  or  gas  in  the  area  recommended 
in  this  report,  for  the  Pittsfield  gas  is  obtained  from  it.  There  is  some  pos- 
sibility, also,  of  finding  oil  or  gas  in  the  sandy  beds  which  occur  in  the  over- 
lying Devonian  shale  in  many  parts  of  the  region.  The  sandy  beds  shouuld 
be  found  at  about  375  feet  and  the  porous  limestone  at  about  400  feet.  The 
horizon  of  the  Hoing  sand,  which  produces  in  the  Colmar  field,  is  just  below 
the  porous  limestone,  but  is  not  likely  to  be  sandy  enough  to  give  any  pro- 
duction on  the  Payson  anticline. 

"trenton"  lime 

The  top  of  the  "Trenton"  lime  should  be  found  at  about  600  feet.  This 
formation  deserves  testing  on  the  Payson  anticline,  for  showings  of  oil  and 
gas  have  been  reported  from  it  in  the  well  drilled  on  the  Luther  Rice  farm 
in  sec.  17,  T.  3  S.,  R.  7  W.,  but  this  well  was  located  low  on  the  structure 
and  found  a  flow  of  "Blue  lick"  water  240  feet  below  the  top  and  was  aban- 
doned. The  oil  showings  were  reported  from  beds  140  feet  below  the  top 
of  the  lime. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  "Trenton"  has  given  showings  of  oil  and 
gas  within  a  short  distance  of  the  locality  recommended  in  this  report  it  is 
particularly  deserving  of  a  test.  The  chances  of  finding  oil  or  gas  seem 
to  be  better  for  the  "Trenton"  than  for  any  of  the  overlying  horizons,  foi 
it  is  reasonable  to  expect  that  the  upper  part  of  the  lime  which  showed  oil 
in  the  Rice  well,  located  very  low  on  the  dip,  would  be  more  porous  on  the 
higher  part  of  the  structure  where  there  is  more  probability  of  fracturing. 

There  also  is  some  probability  that  the  water-bearing  zone  found  245 
feet  below  the  top  of  the  "Trenton"  in  a  well  in  sec.  34,  T.  2  N.,  R.  7  W., 
on  the  Dougherty  farm  will  be  found  to  contain  oil  or  gas  on  the  favorable 
parts  of  the  Payson  anticline. 

On  the  basis  of  the  considerations  mentioned,  it  is  believed  that  the 
Payson  anticline  deserves  a  test  to  a  depth  of  050  feet  which  should  be  deep 
enough  to  test  the  "Trenton". 


PETROLEUM    1 X    ILLINOIS   DURING   1926  5 

PETROLEUM  IX  ILLINOIS  DURING  L926 

By  Gail   F.   Moulton 

Introduction 
New  drilling  in  Illinois  during  1926  was  only  moderately  successful 
on  the  whole,  for  although  the  average  initial  production  of  the  oil  wells 
drilled  was  fairly  high,  a  large  number  of  dry  holes  was  drilled  and  no  new 
producing  area  of  considerable  importance  was  discovered.  Consequently, 
at  the  beginning  of  1027  the  oil  operators  are  confronted  with  the  necessity 
of  a  program  of  wildcatting  to  discover  new  producing  areas,  or  to  prove 
the  existence  of  deeper  producing  sands  in  the  older  shallow  pools,  if  the 
present  annual  production  is  to  be  maintained  for  another  year. 

Production 
The  Illinois  field  produced  about  7,760,000  barrels1  of  oil  during 
1926.  As  the  curve  of  production  (fig.  3)  shows,  this  is  only  a  very  slight 
decline  from  the  production  of  the  two  previous  years.  The  production  has 
been  maintained  at  a  nearly  constant  mark  during  this  time  because  of  the 
flush  production  obtained  from  the  new  producing  areas  in  the  Allendale 
pools  in  Wabash  County,  and  the  Martinsville  pool  in  Clark  County.  Be- 
cause no  new  producing  areas  are  outlined  for  development  for  the  com- 
ing year,  it  is  believed  that  unless  the  average  price  of  crude  oil  for  1927 
is  $2. 50  or  more  per  barrel,  the  production  for  the  year  will  show  a  much 
greater  decline  than  in  the  few  years  previous,  and  will  be  only  about  7,500,- 
000  barrels.  If  the  price  of  oil  is  materially  higher,  it  is  very  probable  that 
the  operators  will  clean  out  old  wells  and  apply  improved  recovery  methods 
to  such  an  extent  that  within  a  year  or  two  the  production  will  reach  10,- 
000,000  barrels  per  year.  Very  likely  interest  in  this  type  of  work  will 
grow  rapidly  in  the  Illinois  fields  during  the  next  few  years. 

Xew  Drilling 
general  statement 
The  new  drilling  undertaken  in  Illinois  during  1926  was  not  as  suc- 
cessful as  that  of  1925  for  the  average  size  of  the  oil  wells  completed  was 
smaller,  and  the  percentage  of  dry  holes  was  greater.  This  condition  was 
the  result  of  the  drilling  up  of  the  new  territory  in  Wabash  and  Clark  coun- 
ties where  in  general  smaller  wells  were  found  in  the  later  stages  of  the  de- 
velopment, and  of  the  failure  of  wildcatting  during  the  year  to  discover  any 
new  producing  areas  as  important  as  those  brought  in  during  1925. 

PROSPECTS   FOR   1027 

Xew  drilling  for  1921   will  lie  much  less  than  for  either  1926  or  1925 
unless  a  new  producing  area  is  discovered  during  the  early  part  of  the  year, 


1  Preliminary  figures  from  the  U.   S.  Dept.  of  Commerce. 


ILLINOIS   PETROLEUM 


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LEGEND 
-(J)-         Dry  hole 
Zi  Dalum  poml 

'         «       Contours  drawn  on  lop  of  the  Keokuk  limestone 
Area  deserving  prospecting 


Fig.  2.    Structure  map  of  Quincy-Liberty  area.     (E  ] 


Oil.    POSSIBILITIES   OF  THE  PAYSON   ANTICLINE 


Ben    B.   Cox,    Illinois    State   Geological    Survey.) 


ILLINOIS    I'KTKOLEI'M 


for  the  greater  part  of  the  new  producing  territory  has  been  drilled  up,  and 
few  proven  locations  are  in  sight  outside  of  the  area  of  the  old  pools  where 
the  expectation  is  that  wells  will  be  small. 

The  present  outlook  is  that  several  wildcat  locations  will  be  drilled  in 
Wabash  County,  and  some  test  wells  will  be  drilled  on  the  structures  recom- 
mended by  the  State  Geological  Survey  in  Bond,  Madison.  Macoupin,  and 
Montgomery  counties  in  western  Illinois.  At  least  two  structures  which 
appear  to  have  excellent  prospects  have  been  mapped  and  recommended 
and  information  given  the  Survey  indicates  that  several  wells  are  planned 
for  the  near  future. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1926  a  deep  well  was  completed  in  Indiana  a  few 
miles  from  the  Illinois  line  about  due  east  of  the  town  of  Darwin  in  south- 
eastern Clark  County.     The  production  in  this  well  was  found  in  the  upper 


1923 


1924 


1925 


1926 


Fig.  3.  Graph  showing  Illinois  oil  production  1923-1926. 
part  of  the  Devonian-Silurian  limestone,  which  is  the  productive  horizon 
in  the  Martinsville  pool  in  Clark  County.  Wildcatting  will  probably  be 
undertaken  in  Illinois  in  an  attempt  to  find  other  pools  in  this  same  horizon. 
In  the  old  producing  areas  of  Crawford  and  Lawrence  counties,  it  is 
expected  that  drilling  will  proceed  about  as  it  has  proceeded  during  the  past 
year,  but  that  the  developments  will  not  have  any  marked  effect  on  the  total 
production  for  the  State,  unless  some  of  the  wildcat  wells  result  in  the  dis- 
covery of  new  producing  areas  of  importance. 

Developments  by  Counties 
southeastern  field 
Wabash  County  was  the  leading  area  of  new  work  for  the  third  con- 
secutive year,  with  a  total  of  160  completions,  or  more  than  one-third  the 
total  for  the  State.  As  shown  in  Table  1,  the  average  initial  production 
was  high,  but  the  per  cent  of  dry  holes  was  also  large.  The  development 
was  successful,  as  a  whole. 


PETROLEUM    IX   ILLINOIS    DIKING    1926  9 

Perhaps  the  most  important  development  in  Illinois  took  place  north 
of  Allendale  on  the  Kogan  and  Leek  tracts.  Most  of  the  completed  wells 
were  large  producers,  and  these  two  leases  combined  with  the  surrounding 
ones  had  a  production  of  nearly  1,000  harrels  a  day  several  months  after 
the  last  large  well  was  completed. 

Additions  to  the  producing  area  were  made  in  the  pool  north  of  Allen- 
dale, in  the  Holsen-Dorney  pool  east  of  Allendale,  in  the  Armstrong  pool 
southeast  of  Allendale,  and  in  the  old  pool  due  west  of  Allendale.  A  new 
pool  of  small  size  was  discovered  near  Friendsville  in  an  area  recommended 
in  a  report  of  the  State  Geological  Survey2. 


Table  1. — Summary  of  oil  and-  gas  developments  in  Illinois  during  1926, 

by  counties 


County 

No. 
of 

Total 
initial 
produc- 

No. 

of 

gas 

Dry  holes 

Average 
initial   produc- 

tion of  oil  wells 

Barrels 

wells 

No. 

Per  cent 

Barrels 

Clark 

42 

843 

— 

4 

8.7 

20.1 

Crawford 

60 

501 

3 

9 

12.5 

8.3 

Lawrence 

21 

508 

— 

4 

16 

24.1 

Wabash 

90 

5,955 

2 

68 

42.5 

66.1 

Others 

14 

108 

— 

32 

69.5 

7.7 

Total  State 

227 

7,915 

5 

117 

33.5 

34.8 

Table  2. — Summary  of  oil  and  pas  field  developments  in  Illinois  1924-1926 


Comple- 
tions 

Total 
initial 
produc- 
tion 
Barrels 

No. 

of 

gas 

wells 

Dry  holes 

Average 
initial    produc- 

\ ear 

No.       Per  cent 

tion  of  oil  wells 
Barrels 

1924 
1925 
1926 

174 
231 
349 

5,568 

10,028 

7,915 

2 
6 
5 

51 

70 

117 

29.3 
30.3 
33.5 

45.1 
64.7 
34.8 

Wildcat  dry  holes  were  drilled  in  the  structural  high  north  of  Allen- 
dale near  the  Lawrence  County  line,  in  the  vicinity  of  Patton,  in  the  vicinity 
of  Grayville,  near  Belmont,  and  west  of  Friendsville.  Structural  condi- 
tions undoubtedly  warranted  the  locations  north  of  Allendale,  as  well  as 
those  in  the  vicinity  of  Patton,  but  the  others  were  not  located   in   areas 


•Moulton,  Gail  F.,  Further  contributions  to  the  geology  of  the  Allendale  oil  field, 
with  a  revised  structure  map:  Illinois  State  Geol.  Survey  Rept  [Investigations  7,  pp. 
15-17,   192.",. 


10  ILLINOIS  PETROLEUM 

whose  structure  was  so  clearly  favorable.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  dry  holes 
caused  by  the  very  irregular  character  of  the  Biehl  sand,  the  results  of  drill- 
ing in  Wabash  County  would  have  been  much  more  profitable  than  they 
were. 

The  extensive  drilling  which  has  taken  place  during  the  past  year  and 
the  small  amount  of  current  drilling  make  questionable  the  finding  of  new 
producing  areas  of  importance  in  Wabash  County  during  the  coming  year. 

Clark  County  was  second  in  importance  of  drilling  activity  during  1926 
as  it  was  during  1925  and  1924.  There  was  a  total  of  46  completions  of 
which  42  were  producers  with  an  average  initial  production  of  20  barrels. 
Most  of  these  wells  were  drilled  in  the  Martinsville  pool  and  produced 
from  both  the  Carper  sand  at  about  1400  feet,  and  the  "Niagaran"  lime 
at  about  1550  feet. 

Operating  conditions  in  Clark  County  are  very  different  from  those 
in  Wabash  County,  for  although  the  production  is  less  profitable  than  the 
best  of  the  Wabash  County  production,  successful  operation  was  practically 
universal  because  the  extensive  character  of  the  sand  insures  production 
from  all  wells  drilled  on  the  high  part  of  the  structure. 

Plans  for  wildcatting  to  discover  other  cross  folds  similar  to  the  Mar- 
tinsville producing  structure  are  reported  for  other  areas  in  Clark  County. 
Unless  some  such  discoveries  are  made,  there  will  be  a  considerable  reduc- 
tion in  the  amount  of  drilling  in  Clark  County  during  1927,  for  all  of  the 
proven  acreage  is  practically  drilled  up  at  the  present  time. 

Crawford  County  was  third  in  amount  of  new  drilling  during  1926  with 
a  total  of  69  completions  which  averaged  8.3  barrels  initial  production  for 
each  well.  A  small,  new  producing  area  was  developed  a  short  distance 
south  of  Robinson,  but  no  new  wells  of  important  size  were  found.  At  the 
present  time  a  deep  test  is  being  drilled  northeast  of  Flat  Rock  which  will 
probably  test  the  "Niagaran"  horizon  and  may  possibly  be  carried  to  the 
"Trenton".  This  test  is  of  particular  interest  because  it  is  located  on  one 
of  the  long,  narrow,  northeast  extensions  from  the  main  producing  area  or 
Crawford  County,  and  will  do  much  to  determine  whether  there  is  any  re- 
lation between  these  extensions  in  the  shallow  sand  and  the  cross  folding 
found  in  Clark  County  with  a  parallel  trend.  If  a  slight  cross  fold  caused 
the  oil  accumulation,  there  is  a  good  prospect  for  finding  a  more  pronounced 
fold  in  the  underlying  beds  which  should  result  in  oil  accumulation  there. 

Lawrence  County  had  the  least  activity  of  any  of  the  important  oil- 
producing  counties  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  A  total  of  25  comple- 
tions was  reported  of  which  21  were  producers  with  an  average  initial  pro- 
duction of  24  barrels.  The  most  important  test  of  the  year  for  Lawrence 
County  is  still  drilling  near  Bridgeport.  This  well  is  being  put  down  by 
the   Ohio  Oil  Company  to  test  the  possible  oil   sands  below  those  which 


PETROLEUM   IN   ILLINOIS   DURING   1926  11 

have  been  developed  in  the  County,  and  the  intention  of  drilling  this  well 
into  or  through  the  "Trenton"  has  been  reported  in  the  press.  If  this  proj- 
ect is  carried  out,  the  well  will  be  drilled  below  5,000  feet  and  will  be  the 
deepest  oil  test  in  the  State.  The  well  is  particularly  important  because  if 
new  producing  horizons  are  developed,  there  will  be  a  very  large  area  in  the 
southeastern  fields  which  will  deserve  drilling  to  the  greater  depth. 

Other  counties.  Outside  drilling  in  the  southeastern  fields  was  most 
important  in  Jasper  County  which  had  a  total  of  7  completions,  3  of  which 
had  a  total  initial  production  of  S  barrels. 

There  was  also  some  drilling  in  Coles  and  Cumberland  counties,  but 
no  new  production  resulted  from  these  ventures. 

CENTRALIA  DISTRICT 

Most  of  the  operations  in  the  Centralia  district  for  1926  were  in  Mar- 
ion County.  As  a  whole,  the  results  of  the  drilling  were  not  very  satis- 
factory, for  only  7  of  the  16  wells  drilled  were  producers,  and  these  aver- 
aged only  11  barrels  per  day. 

Wildcat  wells  were  drilled  to  test  the  Hoffman  structure3  northwest 
of  Centralia,  and  the  Duquoin  anticline  near  Irvington.  Most  of  the  wells 
were  drilled  in  the  Wamac  pool  south  of  Centralia,  and  gave  only  a  small 
initial  yield. 

SOUTHWESTERN   ILLINOIS 

Randolph  County.  Four  dry  holes  were  drilled  in  Randolph  County, 
three  of  which  were  located  in  structurally  favorable  areas  described  in  a 
report  of  the  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey4,  but  the  area  which  was 
recommended  as  most  favorable  in  the  report  is  not  yet  tested  and  does  not 
appear  to  have  been  condemned  by  the  drilling  already  done,  although  the 
new  information  has  served  to  emphasize  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered 
because  of  the  extreme  irregularity  of  the  producing  sand. 

Jackson  County.  In  the  Ava  field  in  Jackson  County  three  wells  were 
drilled  two  of  which  were  dry ;  ten  barrels  were  reported  for  the  producer. 
Xew  operations  in  this  area  seem  to  have  been  abandoned  for  the  present 
at  least. 

OTHER  PARTS  OF  THE  STATE 

McDonoitgh  County.  The  principal  activity  in  western  Illinois  was  in 
McDonough  County.  Five  wells  drilled  during  the  year  tested  the  Tennes- 
see fold,  the  southern  part  of  the  Sciota  dome,  and  the  Gin  Ridge  area  west 
of  Industry.  None  of  these  wells  found  more  than  a  small  showing  of  oil, 
and  at  the  end  of  the  year  the  operators  had  nearly  lost  interest  in  the  area. 


3  Bell,   A.   H.,   Oil   investigations   in   the   Centralia  area :     Illinois   State   Geol.    Survey, 
Illinois  Petroleum  No.   5,  pp.  8-10,  October  16,  1926. 

4  Moulton,    G.    F.,    Oil   and   gas   possibilities   in   the    Sparta   area  :      Illinois    State    Geol. 
Survey,  Illinois  Petroleum  No.   1,  April  17,   1925. 


12  ILLINOIS  PETROLEUM 

Morgan  County.  East  of  Jacksonville  several  wells  were  completed  in 
the  shallow  gas  sand  at  300  feet.  One  well  drilled  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  year  had  an  oil  production  of  about  4  barrels  per  day  at  about  the 
same  depths  As  a  result  of  these  developments,  interest  has  been  aroused 
in  the  area,  and  several  wells  are  expected  for  the  coming  year. 

It  is  probable  that  tests  will  be  drilled  during  the  coming  year  on  struc- 
tures recommended  by  the  State  Geological  Survey  in  Bond  County,  and  in 
Bond,  Madison,  and  Montgomery  counties.  Both  of  these  structures5, 
which  were  determined  on  the  No.  6  coal,  seem  to  have  good  possibilities, 
and,  if  they  are  adequately  tested,  one  of  them  is  likely  to  be  productive. 


5  Bell,  A.  H.,  Oil  possibilities  of  the  Ayers  anticline :  Illinois  State  Geol.  Survey, 
Illinois  Petroleum  No.  5,  pp.   15-18,  October  16,  1926. 

Bell,  A.  H.,  The  Sorento  Dome:  Illinois  State  Geol.  Survey,  Illinois  Petroleum 
No.  6,  December  4,  1926. 


